Moon Palace Sumi Ink 180ml

I am a dip pen calligraphy beginner, and I started out using a bottle of India ink. It seemed to work passably well, but it was a bit thick and could probably have benefited from dilution. I purchased this Kaimei sumi ink after seeing that many people recommend sumi ink for calligraphy beginners. The difference is like night and day. The Kaimei sumi ink flows easily from the nib, and I feel like I can write twice as long without having to re-dip. It is also much easier to clean off of the nib than the India ink. I found myself getting frustrated while trying to learn and practice with the India ink, but this sumi ink makes it enjoyable. I absolutely love this stuff. The ink is a nice dark, opaque black. The no-drip cap is awesome and allows you to dispense the ink into a smaller container without any mess. I think the price for the amount of ink that you receive is a great deal.As far as the odor that many reviewers have complained about, there is a rather pungent, organic/earthy smell to it; however, I don’t find it to be unpleasant, and I can only smell it when I hold my ink jar right under my nose. I had to take a good whiff just to see what all the fuss was about, and I was really surprised that so many people seemed to find the odor offensive. I don’t smell it at all with the jar sitting on my table as I write, so it’s not as if the ink is giving off fumes into the air that will stink up an entire room. I consider myself to be someone who is sensitive to odors, and I have no problems with this ink. If you make it a point to take a big whiff, the smell will definitely grab you by the nose, but it is very much an earthy, dirt/plant scent, and not anything like a chemical or dead animal smell.I highly recommend this Kaimei sumi ink for calligraphy beginners, and I might even try using it in my paintings. The large bottle will last a long time, and I’ll definitely reorder it once I run out.

This is my fourth bottle of Moon Palace ink. I fill my small container straight out of the bottle for my copperplate calligraphy, although I sometimes add a couple of drops of water if it thickens a bit while sitting open. It is a smooth, very black ink that writes beautifully with a dip pen. It will not destroy nibs like inks that contain a lot of shellac, and is easily washed away with water. This ink has a great consistency and clings to my pointed nibs so well that I do not even need to add gum arabic. It has an earthy, natural fragrance which I like the very much, although some reviewers object to it. I have recommended Moon Palace ink to others in my calligraphy classes and they love it too, although the teacher prefers gouache which is more expensive and has to be mixed to a perfect consistency with water and gum arabic. The size of this bottle is really generous, especially considering that it is so inexpensive! (Not for fountain pens and not waterproof.) My bottle's label was entirely in Japanese. It does not dry particularly fast, so I sometimes dry it with a hairdryer for a few seconds if I am working on a project. Moon Palace is great for practice on heavy premium 32 lb. printer paper which I buy in reams of 500 to print my guidelines on. I also use it in my Pilot Parallel Pen by filling empty cartridges or the entire handle.

Used for copperplate calligraphy. The smell was a little off putting at first but I have come to find it comforting and pleasant! Writes beautifully and is very opaque

Switched from a different type and brand to this ink. The difference is remarkable - this ink flows well, doesn’t clump, etc. Initially, the smell was a little off-putting, so I transferred some to a small container to use while working on projects. Didn’t take long for the smell to go away when working with an open dip-pen container. I will order again.

I've spent the past few beginning months using Dr Ph Martin's india ink for my calligraphy. After switching to this - the difference is HUGE! Generally I'd have to dip my pen about 3-4x per line of practice, and wipe my nib thoroughly after each line due to the (thickness/quick drying?) of the india ink. With this Sumi ink, I can complete almost an entire line without having to re-dip, and I don't have to wipe my nib after each row. I understand that india ink vs. Sumi ink is an apples to oranges comparison, but for practicing letter forms - this ink is perfect. Large quantity, cheap price, and smooth enough to not frustrate the noobs.Even more handy, you've got the no-drip nozzle cap which is awesome.The only possible bad thing I can see is the smell. You will either love it or hate it. At first whiff, I was mostly disgusted and thought it smelled like weird diaper funk. Don't ask me how, but now all I can smell when I write is an earthy wet dirt smell with a dash of eucalyptus oil. I actually find it pretty pleasant now!

This is really great stuff! Cheap, very dark, dries quickly. I wasn't sure about this at first when the ink beaded off my pen nib but it did actually write beautifully. The ink does have a very strong earthy smell to it. Sumi ink is made from carbon from burning pine so that's to be expected. Also keep in mind that sumi inks like this are to be diluted with water. While you can use it straight from the bottle, adding water makes flow better and dry more quickly.Also of note for note to others using dip pens, sumi ink does corrode steel nibs!

Great quality! Highly recommended!

I started calligraphy four years ago, and my lettering never looked professional until I used Sumi Moonpalace ink. It is gorgeous.